TITLE:
Forage Production and Selection for Vigor in Meadow and Hybrid Bromegrass in the Northern Great Plains
AUTHORS:
R. Martine Similien, Arvid Boe, Bruce Coulman
KEYWORDS:
Bromus riparius, Smooth Bromegrass, Bromus inermis, Morphology, Phytomer, Biomass Partitioning, Leaf Ratio, Tiller Density, Marginal Cropland
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.11 No.1,
January
17,
2020
ABSTRACT: Meadow bromegrass (Bromus riparius Rehmann) is an important forage crop in Canada and
the Intermountain West, but it has not been extensively evaluated in the
northern Great Plains (NGP). Our objectives were to 1) evaluate meadow, smooth,
and hybrid bromegrasses for forage production under intensive management in
eastern South Dakota, and 2) evaluate the effect of selection for vigor in
multiple environments on forage production of meadow bromegrass. Thirteen
populations (7 meadow bromegrass, 5 hybrid bromegrass, and 1 smooth bromegrass)
were evaluated for 4 yrs (2005-2007, 2009) at Brookings, SD. Biomass at
anthesis was greater for smooth (6.75 Mg ha-1) than for meadow or hybrid brome
(5.4 Mg ha-1)
in 2005, but production at anthesis during 2006 and 2007 was similar for meadow
and smooth bromegrass. Regrowth harvested during July and October 2005 and
November 2006 was greater for meadow than smooth or hybrid bromegrass. Forage
production at anthesis in 2009, after rest (i.e., no cutting) and fertilization in
2008, was 4.2 Mg ha-1 for meadow bromegrass compared with
3.3 Mg ha-1 and 2.6 Mg ha-1 for hybrid and smooth bromegrass, respectively. Smooth and hybrid bromegrasses
had more leaves·tiller-1 than meadow bromegrass. After 6 yrs, meadow
bromegrass had higher tiller density and greater potential for tolerating
multiple harvests during a growing season than did smooth or hybrid bromegrass.
Selection for vigor in multiple environments in North America resulted in
experimental populations of meadow bromegrass with superior forage yield
compared with ‘Fleet’ on marginal crop land in the
northern Great Plains.